Piano Purchase Help

Hi,

I am finally buying a piano and moving on from my electric keyboard. I have dreamt of this for so long, but have now become confused over what to buy! There are so many choices and as this is a purchase for life, I want to get it right. Do you have any tips when deciding what piano to buy or any specific recommendations?

Many thanks,

Simon

Happy to help :)

• How much are you willing to spend?
  
• Do you want an upright or a grand?
  
• How big is the room you're putting it in?
  
• What level of performance are you at? (going to uni or just do piano for fun).
  
• Do you like a specific brand or feature? (e.g Yamaha, "ivory" keys etc.).
  

Steinway.

Now if you don't have big $$$$$$$, then get a Baldwin. :)

John Mulligan's questions are definitely important to consider. Be open-minded about your selection. You don't need a $100,000 piano to last you a life time or even to have fun playing. I have had an upright for my entire life and it's been wonderful. The tuning sags a bit, but you can fix that every 5-10 years.

Good luck!

-John

I recommend a 1990s Yamaha upright, C5 I think is the model I used to like.

Not gonna cost the world, and high quality. (Make sure you play on lots of instruments to compare first).

I would tune at least once a year, rather than every 5-10 years. Also, since it's not a digital or a keyboard, you're going to have to be more careful about where you place it. Speak to the piano shop about this, but basic tips are make sure it's in a room where the temperature oscillates as little as possible. Do not place it near a radiator or open fire.

If you have a bit more money, I recall being very impressed by Steinweg uprights.

Unless you have $20 or $30,000 lying around, I wouldn't waste your time buying a grand or baby grand. The $10,000 grands (unless a second hand bargain) are almost always terrible. A sturdy upright will do you a much greater service.

The other route (though you probably will be less receptive to this) is to get a high end digital piano. This means the top of the range Yamaha or Kawais. The top (reasonably affordable) Kawai is this:

http://www.kawai.de/ca93_en.htm

I have never played on it since it is new, but I played a fair bit on the Kawai CA91, its predecessor, a while back. It was a gorgeous piano, lovely feel, good sound, great resonance.

The top Yamaha is this:

http://www.yamaha.com/yamahavgn/CDA/ContentDetail/ModelSeriesDetail.html?CNTID=5020782&CTID=203500

I own one of these and have been extremely pleased with it for the last 4 years. I thought it would be superceded by a superior model within about 6 months (there were rumours to this end) but in fact it is still the leading model, so you can feel safe about buying a digital piano. Sure an acoustic holds its value better, but the digital isn't going to be obselete in 5 years like some people think.

The CLP 380 has a good feel, excellent sound, and similar features to the Kawai CA90s. The Kawais are slightly punchier in the bass end, but the Yamaha is more realistic overall, especially in the high treble register.

One of the huge awesome benefits of the digital piano is never having to tune it, and its (to some degree) portability. These keyboards are very heavy, but separate into parts, and are certainly moveable. Just not something to gig on every night...

My $0.015

Wow, thanks everyone for the considered responses. This is very useful indeed and has given me a great place to start. I have answered the questions below in-case this gives any more insights for me. :-)

How much are you willing to spend? About $5-10K, but flexible for the right piano.

Do you want an upright or a grand? An upright will fit better in my house.

How big is the room you're putting it in? A little tight unfortunately...

What level of performance are you at? (going to uni or just do piano for fun). It's been a hobby for a long time, but I am looking to step it up.

Do you like a specific brand or feature? (e.g Yamaha, "ivory" keys etc.). I have used Yamaha up to now. I like this a lot, but am open to alternatives.

Thanks again!

If upright, be wary of Steinways. They make a few upright models, but as Steinway & Sons specialise in concert pianos, they're uprights aren't the most robust things in the world. They don't hold tuning as long, keys stick earlier and need regulated more often... they're just altogether not indicative of the "Rolls Royce of pianos". I have heard good things about the Yamaha uprights, but I have no longstanding experience.

First of all, I've played a Steinway upright, and it was no good. I've heard bad things about them from people with more experience, as well. I own a Yamaha U3 studio upright. The cost is pretty steep (usually about $5000 or so) but it's an excellent piano. Make sure to have it in a fairly large room, it's a big piano. Mine is about 52 inches tall, with more string length than a 5 or 6 foot baby grand. It's wonderful. The action is a bit too light, but otherwise, it's fantastic. I recommend getting one if you can afford it. I love Yamahas in general, and you can probably find a cheaper one of good quality. Just make sure you play a piano thoroughly before you buy it. Never buy an instrument you haven't played.

Steinway.

Now if you don't have big $$$$$$$, then get a Baldwin. :)

Don't be fooled by the name. Not all Stienways/Baldwins are great. I'm about to get a Ritmuller that's just sublime!

My recommendation--visit a showroom or something like that, and actually play the piano. The most important thing is how it sounds to you. each instrument is unique, even those that are the same model. Make sure the instrument feels right to you. it shouldn't just let you hear the notes you play, it should LET YOU HEAR the notes you play. There should be a give and take between man an instrument. Does the piano inspire you? Thats the best question you can ask yourself, ESPECIALLY as a composer. and if you do buy a piano from a show room, make sure you get the exact one you played. like i said, each instrument has a unique personality regarldess of brand and model.

If you're thinking of getting one from Craigslist/Ebay, make sure to buy local and visit the piano before you buy it so you can play it and see how it sounds.

(Sorry, this was an accidental repost. I'm not sure how to or even if i can delete it. I humbly ask the mods/admins to rid this thread of this useless post.)